#SeptemberStudies- The benefits of unpaid work

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While you're studying, especially at the end of your education e.g. A Levels or in college/uni, it can be highly beneficial to participate in some unpaid work (to be honest, it doesn't have to be unpaid but most of the examples I'm about to list are unpaid) in order to further your career or boost your college application or something similar. Here's what you could be doing and why it will benefit you: 

Internships
Internships are sometimes paid positions but most of the time they pay for travel expenses and not much else. However, they're a brilliant way to make important connections that can help you get your foot on the first rung of the ladder to your dream career and can even lead to potential jobs, which is always great. They look good on job applications and university applications too!



Work Experience
Similar to internships but a little more flexible and laid back, work experience placements are a great way to find out if you actually enjoy the career you're about to begin pursuing, seemingly for the rest of your life. Again, they're also a good way to meet important contacts as well as finding out if a day in the life of your dream job is actually right for you! Work experience also counts as "experience" for a job too, so when you're applying for your first job in an industry that says you must have X amount of time experience in this job, don't forget to put your work experience placement down! 



Volunteering
Even if you don't volunteer in an industry relevant to your career, you can gain many beneficial 'adult' skills from volunteering (time management, responsibility etc. etc. blah blah snooze). It can aid you in your pursuit of awards such as the Duke of Edinburgh award and it can also help you to meet new people and make some friends. On top of that, volunteering generally is just a very rewarding experience. 



Working with youth charities
Working with a youth charity changed my life- I'm not even joking! Thanks to a youth charity, I was able to become a radio presenter (my dream job, by the way) and this opened so many additional doors to me, from training to be a TV presenter to hosting a concert. I also made some brilliant friends too. It's bulked out my CV, helped me get jobs and was just a whole lot of fun too! 



Find your local youth charity, approach local businesses about work experience and look on sites such as GoThinkBig for several unpaid work opportunities that will benefit you in the long run without taking up too much of your time or distracting you from your studies too much! Think of unpaid work like an extracurricular club; it should be a fun bit on the side, not a full time commitment- at least while you're studying, anyway!

Did you do any unpaid work while studying? What benefits did you get from it?

Love from,
Florence Grace

Comments

  1. Chichi16 September 2016 at 02:06

    I did a lot of paid and unpaid work while I was at university. A lot of the unpaid work I did involved writing for online magazines. The best thing about this was that I was working from home, it was flexible, I could work around my studies, I was able to build up my portfolio and I was able to get experience, as well as my dream job after university.

    Chichi
    http://chichi-writes.blogspot.co.uk/

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    Replies
    1. Chichi16 September 2016 at 02:14

      Having said that my situation worked for me, it might not work for everyone. Also, regarding internships, I feel as though they are elitist in that they are only available in London and they are full-time and unpaid, so they appeal to rich people who can afford to work for free. Also, in some cases, one would have to do several internships before landing their dream job so it's a long slog. I'm against internships because I believe they are elitist and unethical, and I liked my situation because it worked for me so I didn't intern. I still got my dream job though! If you choose not to intern and/or you are not based in London and/or you don't have rich parents, then don't despair. You can still make it into your dream job, there are other alternative routes too.

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  2. Florence Grace17 September 2016 at 16:33

    Interesting! I agree in part with what you're saying but I do know of internships that are beneficial- but I also know of internships that are, as you say, for rich people based in London! It's all about finding the diamond in the rough, as they say!

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